by David Jackson, USA TODAY

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

President Obama and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were all handshakes and smiles during a G-20 welcoming ceremony Thursday after months of criticism and backbiting on a variety of issues.

Last month, Obama canceled a one-on-one summit with Putin after Russia's decision to grant temporary asylum to National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden.

In recent days, Putin has criticized Obama's plans for a military strike at Syria, saying the U.S. president has not proved Syria's government was behind a recent chemical weapons attack.

The two presidents do not have a formal meeting scheduled during the two-day G-20 summit, but informal chats are possible.

"It's always the case at these summits that leaders end up sitting next to each other; they end up having side conversations," said National Security Council spokesman Ben Rhodes. "So I certainly anticipate the president will have interactions with President Putin even as we don't have a formal meeting scheduled."